Horror Camp
by Kamije Celeek
Summary: Camp Campbell was weird; that was just a fact of life. However, things start to get even weirder when a new girl shows up and the camp starts being invaded by supernatural forces.
1. Rosemary's Camp

**Decided to rewrite Horror Camp. Instead of being a series of one-shots, this is going to be a continuous story.**

 **Note: Neil, Nikki, and Max are all thirteen. Max has been adopted by David. Rosemary is also thirteen.**

* * *

The bus rocked lightly as it traveled through the woods from the city. Rosemary stared out the window, wearing her earbuds and listening to music. She had to admit, the area was beautiful—a large lake, surrounded by woods with a mountain looming over it all in the distance. However, she also knew that every beautiful location had its dark secrets. Sleepy Peak wasn't going to be any different, especially given the spot she'd be staying.

"We're almost there," grunted the bus driver—an old man with a long mustache and a hook for a hand.

"Thanks," Rosemary sighed, picking up her backpack and moving for the doors as the bus rolled to a stop. She stepped onto the grass below her feet and looked around.

"Hello!" a man with red hair greeted her, an ecstatic smile on his face. "Welcome to Camp Campbell. My name is David, your camp counselor!"

"Hi, David. I'm Rosemary!" She put on a smile and shook his hand. That seemed to satisfy him and he led her away from the bus.

"I'm so glad you've decided to join us at Camp Campbell!" he stated. "We offer a variety of activities that you can participate in, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your summer!"

Rosemary followed him on a tour of the camp. It was pretty standard facilities for a summer camp in the middle of nowhere. Renovations had obviously been done within the past few years, but she could tell it was extremely low-tech. That might be an issue down the line. David was obviously pleased that she was paying attention as they entered the mess hall.

"All right, everyone!" he announced. "We have a new camper today! Please give a warm Camp Campbell welcome to Rosemary!"

She looked out at her fellow campers as they greeted her. They evidently had a variety of different backgrounds and personalities that she would have to document. Oddly enough, one of them was wearing a blue hoodie in the middle of summer. He intrigued her, so she made a note to investigate him in particular.

"I feel sorry for you," the camper in question sighed, patting her on the shoulder. "I've been here for the past four years. I'm Max, by the way."

"And I'm Nikki!" piped up the girl with green hair tied back in pigtails. "What camp are you here for?"

"I'm here for Horror Camp! I'll be researching the supernatural, along with old myths and legends."

"Nerd alert!" laughed a heavyset boy with red hair. "We've already got Neil! We don't need a girl nerd!"

"And I'll have plenty of scary stories that I can use to _warp your mind_ ," she added in a low tone, one that got the boy's attention. "Tales of the cursed and the damned, of heartbreak and murder, of monsters and humans. And you can't always tell which is which."

He backed down, nervous.

"Damn. New girl's got skills," she heard Max say. She smiled sweetly and headed outside when David announced it was time for the afternoon activities.

She spent the afternoon being introduced to her fellow campers and taking into account their personal… quirks. Whether it be Nikki's apparent comradery with the beasts of the earth, Space Kid's fascination with, well, space, or Preston slipping into Shakespearean monologues, each one was taken into consideration.

Her apparent observational skills did not go unnoticed by the ever-vigilant-scientist of the camp, who thought that she seemed like a good person to run experiments with. Max thought she was kind of cool, but weird at the same time. Nikki just wanted to be her best friend for the sake of scaring the shit out of her fellow campers. Most of the others had the same views as Max, with the exceptions of Nurf and Preston. Nurf was terrified of the new girl and wanted to stay out of her way. Preston thought she had a lot of dramatic potential as a storyteller and actress.

* * *

"…the locals forget. Beware the song of the Dearg Due."

As Rosemary had expected, her fellow campers were terrified of the story of an Irish vampiric siren. She sat back with a grin, then noted that David was clinging to Gwen.

"Who's next?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah, nobody's gonna top that," Max snorted. "Rosemary is the top storyteller, hands-down."

"I think it's time for bed!" David squeaked. "Everybody to your tents!"

Rosemary entered her tent, which she had to herself due to the fact that there was an odd number of campers. Once there, she pulled out her phone and opened a private group chat that was marked 'Sleepy Peak Transplants'.

 _ **So, just got done scaring the shit out of my fellow Campbell Campers. You guys?**_

 _The Wood Scouts are tougher than that. I'll have to work a little harder._

 _All I did was mention evil spirits and the Flower Scouts freaked the fuck out._

 _ **The three of us are in this together, huh?**_

 _ **Good. I can't do this on my own. I'm glad we were all assigned together.**_

 _Especially since we all know you're afraid of incubi._

 _ **Hey! Incubi are serious! Women can't resist them!**_

 _ **And what about you and succubae?**_

 _…ok, that's fair._

 _I put up charms against incubi to keep them out of camp. Have you guys done that yet?_

 _Succubae and sirens over here._

 _ **Incubi, succubae, and sirens. This is a co-ed camp, remember?**_

 _I wish I'd gotten your assignment. The Flower Scouts are vapid, vain bitches._

 _And the Wood Scouts are obsessed with military history and shit._

 _ **Trust me. You don't want to see some of the people I'm dealing with over here.**_

 _ **One of them actually tried to threaten me.**_

 _Shit. What did you do?_

 _I'll tell you what she did—she pulled a 'I am Rosemary the Huntress badass and you will respect me'._

 _ **Nah. I just put on my creepy voice and did the spiel about scary stories.**_

 _Genius!_

 _ **Gotta get some sleep. Night, guys.**_

 _Night, sis._

 _Night, Huntress Badass._

She set down her phone and sighed.

 _Fresh out of the academy and I've been assigned to a place that hasn't had a Protector in decades. Damn. Well, at least there's plenty to hunt. The other kids don't seem scared in the slightest, but that's going to change soon._

 _That spike in activity wasn't good. That's why they sent three of us._

 _...hopefully I can protect Camp Campbell._

* * *

 **So, just so you guys know, Rosemary isn't just a camper in this story. A large part of this is based off an original story I wrote, and you can probably guess one of her companions. It's her brother, Joseph! The other has only appeared in one of my other stories so far. Her name is Charlie, and she's essentially Rosemary's best friend.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. Interview with a Vampire Hunter, Part 1

Rosemary woke before sunrise. She slipped quietly out of her tent with her bag on her back before checking the perimeter of the camp.

 _None of the charms were disturbed. Good._

She reset the small wooden figures with a renewed protection before heading to the mess hall. There, she found Quartermaster hard at work on carving… something. He looked up from his work with a frown at the sound of someone approaching, but his grumpy look softened once he saw who it was.

"You check the charms?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know what you are. You're a Huntress." He crossed his arms. "Don't lie to me, girl. I'm a Hunter myself. We can always tell when someone's one of us."

"But…"

"You couldn't because you're a recent graduate. You haven't been a full Huntress for long—maybe a month or two. It's something you pick up over time. Also, I saw the charms you made. They aren't very strong."

"That's why I reset them every morning."

"See, that's the problem with the Academy nowadays. They teach you brats to make charms out of _goddamn wood_ instead of good old-fashioned iron. Iron keeps away most of the things we fight."

"And where would _you_ suggest I get iron? There's two other Protectors on Lake Lilac right now, and they need it as much as I do."

"I know a place where we could get some. It'd be enough to make charms you only have to reset once a month."

"Once a _month_?"

"Like I said, iron's some of the best shit for making charms. The best you could do would be silver, but I don't know where to get that legally. You seem like a bit of a goody-two-shoes."

"Eh. I've been described that way. I _did_ graduate top of my class at the Academy."

"All those fancy awards don't mean shit if you don't learn to think on your toes."

"Hey, if you're a Hunter, how come you weren't listed as Sleepy Peak's Protector?"

"I haven't renewed my certification in twenty years, little miss."

"Little fucking _miss_?"

"Watch yourself. We're going for iron at the full moon, which is in a week. That's the best time to get it; it's at its full power then."

"Ah. Thank you, Quartermaster."

"And, while I'm at it, stay away from Spooky Island. There's a ghost there, but he's harmless. If anything, he'll annoy you half to death." Rosemary smiled; she'd seen that kind of ghost before. They were more helpful than harmful. Sometimes they even warned the living of coming disasters.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you at the full moon."

"You brought silver?"

"I brought a knife and some bullets, but that's it."

"Good. I've seen a few werewolves around here over the years. Watch your back."

He headed into the Quartermaster Store, leaving her alone in the mess hall. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, not really having any clue as to what she was going to do now. Maybe explore the camp a bit? Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. She slipped back outside, looking around for any signs of trouble. A bat flew overhead, heading for the mountains. In her mind, she made note of the black color and glowing red eyes that were the telltale signs of a legitimate vampire who'd transformed into their less threatening form. However, this one seemed more interested in getting home before the sun came up than drinking her blood, so she was willing to let it live.

"Rosemary? What are you doing up?"

She looked to see David in front of her. She'd almost walked smack into him while watching the bat.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm an early riser." She smiled and shrugged nervously.

"Really? That's _wonderful_!"

"It is?"

"Yes! Nobody else at camp seems to enjoy sunrise hikes or just seeing nature in all its glory in the early morning light. Do you?"

"I _love_ nature. Did you see that bat that just flew overhead?"

"I did. It's not the normal little brown bats we see around here."

"I think it's a vampire bat. I heard some asshole brought some from South America as pets and they escaped. Watch your neck!"

"That's unfortunate—for us, the bats, and whoever brought them."

"I agree."

"Well, come see me when you get up tomorrow. We can watch the sunrise over the lake."

"I'll be sure to do that."

David walked away and Rosemary bit her lip.

 _He really has no fucking idea what's going on here…_

* * *

"Do you ever run experiments?"

Rosemary looked up from her copy of _Dracula_ , which she was reading purely for research purposes.

"What?" she questioned Neil.

"You said you research the paranormal. Do you ever run experiments?"

"Neil, the paranormal isn't something you can run experiments on. Most of its existence is purely hypothetical, at _best_. Running an experiment on something that most likely doesn't exist is like making Edison out to be a great person, or celebrating Columbus for discovering America."

"I don't follow."

"Pointless, stupid, and buying into the myths history tells us. If anybody deserves to be practically _worshipped_ as much as Edison's been, it's Tesla. At least _he_ didn't kill an elephant and film it just to try and discredit somebody he didn't like. Oh, wait, that was _Edison_."

"A little bit of bitterness there?"

"Anybody who's heard Tesla's story is bitter. Edison, Marconi, and several other inventors screwed him over. And Columbus was a pedophile who liked to screw the locals."

"So, if you're so into the _science_ of the paranormal, why are you reading a novel from the late 19th century?"

"Because Bram Stoker didn't come up with this shit on his own and I think I possibly saw a vampire flying over camp this morning. Feeling drained?"

"No more than usual."

"Good. Means it didn't want to target you. Vampires are like mosquitoes—they prefer a certain blood type in the form of A negative. For mosquitoes, it's O negative."

"What the fuck—you _just_ told me that the paranormal doesn't actually exist!"

"No, I said experimenting on it was stupid and pointless, and that _most_ of its existence was hypothetical. There are _some_ things that exist—ghosts, vampires, and merpeople are the only ones I know of that do."

"Well, I believe ghosts and merpeople. I saw both here my first year as a camper. But _vampires_? They can't be that easy to find; aren't they just really pretty and pale teenagers?"

"See, that's where you're wrong and modern paranormal science has failed us." She snapped her book shut and stood up. "Let's take a walk and I'll show you what I found this morning after I woke up."

"Should we take Max and Nikki?"

"Only if you think all this shit is dangerous during the day."

"They're vampires; sunlight affects them, but it just makes them sparkly."

"That's wrong _again_. That's a very specific and _rare_ subspecies of vampire. I don't think that's the kind we're dealing with here, not based on what I found this morning. Now are we going or are we staying here to discuss how Stephanie Meyer has ruined the public image of vampires?"

"I'm going… but I want to bring Max and Nikki."

"Fine. Meet me by the mess hall and be ready for a short hike."

She grabbed gloves, tongs, and nose-plugs to put in her bag, as well as a folded-up tarp. By the time she reached the mess hall, Max was looking very annoyed that she'd taken so long to get there.

"What the fuck are we doing?"

"I'm going to show you why the camp isn't as safe as people think it is." They started walking.

"It's Camp Campbell; nothing about this place is safe," Max snorted.

"Yeah, but things got a whole lot more dangerous. Have there ever been people who randomly disappear, only to pop back up a few days later? Strange kids that seem to stick around in one place? Black bats with red eyes flying around?"

"Isn't that stuff normal? I mean, Jaspar's a ghost and he's fine. Graggle is a pretty chill guy."

"They're benign. I guess you could say the paranormal are like tumors—a few bad ones and they all get a bad rap, causing an immediate negative reaction. No, what we're dealing with right now is a cancerous tumor that's going to start draining on our lives pretty quickly." She handed a set of nose-plugs to each of them. "Put these on. The smell is what tipped me off."

"Oh my _God_!" Nikki gasped, looking at the emaciated corpse lying on the ground a few feet away. It was a man who looked like his face had been eaten by crows or vultures. There weren't any recognizable features left there.

"Found him this morning. Poor guy."

"And you _didn't_ tell the counselors?!" Neil snapped.

"I can't. Technically, I'm not even supposed to tell _you guys_ , but I need your help."

"Why us?" Max sighed.

"Three reasons: one, you know how to keep your mouths shut. Two, you three are the ones here with the most paranormal experience. And three, my partners are located at the two other camps on this damn lake and can't help me with this shit."

"The paranormal is real?" Nikki inquired, trying not to gag at the corpse. Rosemary sighed and pulled the tarp out of her bag, covering the body.

"Yes, it's all real. Vampires, zombies, werewolves, demons, ghosts… all of them are real and the reason I'm here."

"You're some kind of vampire hunter?"

"The proper term is _Protector_ , more specifically _Huntress_. I hunt the fuckers down and kill them before they can kill the rest of humanity."

"What does the body tell us?" Neil inquired, now genuinely curious. She uncovered the dead man's face.

"Well, in its emaciated and chewed-up state, I'd say that our vampire had himself a meal."

"It's a fucking _vampire_ ; it drank all his blood and left him for dead," Max groaned.

"You're right, but you're also wrong. I forgive you because you're new to this. I was only going to have Neil help me but he _insisted_ that the two of you come with us."

"Fuck you, Neil!"

"I didn't know she was going to show us a human corpse!" Rosemary knelt by the body and put on her gloves.

"The smell is from the body decaying in overdrive and the lack of hygiene of the victim. More than likely he was a homeless man with A neg—a vampire's _favorite_ type of victim. Adding on to that, this was not a planned kill. If it was, I wouldn't have found it so close to camp."

"Do these things know you're here?"

"They know. And they're scared because Protectors in an area mean that The Lodge has taken notice of their activity."

"So, what, we find it, stake it, and call it a night?" Max suggested.

"It's a _Drac_. More commonly known as a _Dracula_. That means that we're dealing with what's considered the king of vampires. They're basically a walking virus that wants to spread their plague."

"What about our buddy here? Is he gonna turn?"

"This was done by a starving vamp. He's not going to turn because he's _completely dead_. The ones that turn still had blood left. And you have to be bitten three times in order to turn."

"I'm scared of your knowledge."

"Good." She pulled the tarp back over the guy. "I'll call The Lodge and have them take care of our friend. In the meantime, keep everyone in camp. I'll tell you when it's safe."

She headed back, her gut twisting.

* * *

 **So, yeah, if you were following Horror Camp before, I have since updated the first chapter. This is going to be more 'Monster-of-the-Week' story than episodic. I hope you don't mind the change! Oh, and yes: Rosemary's personality has been shifted. I started watching House M.D., and House himself is helping to inspire her this time around.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
